February 12, 2021 - Week 19

Good Afternoon #beproudbedale Families,

Mother Nature had another punch for us this week.  However, with all the challenges we have endured this year our rockstar students and staff continued to persevere. I am so proud of their effort and determination so far this year! Please take a minute to check out this week's blog as it is chock full of class activities and school and town information.

Congratulations to Alexia on the positive referral she received for working so hard and modeling perseverance! Way to go!!

This week all students celebrated Valentine's Day with classroom activities and a 'Party in a Bag!'  In addition, a lot of students participated in the Student Council "PJ" Spirit Day.  

Daily Dale 

Our Daily Daily News Team continues to crush the morning announcements.  Here is one of the news segments from this week: Daily Dale

Mrs. Ross' and Ms. Johnson's fifth-grade students combined poetry, the Book, Head, Heart reading strategy, and strategies from Sarah Ward during reader's workshop this week.  Students used the poem 'Keep on Smiling' to dive deeper into their work.  

In celebration of Black History Month, Medfield Together invites you to join us on our Black History Knowledge Quest. Families and individuals are challenged to visit various locations throughout Medfield to find Black history portals. Each portal features a placard highlighting the achievements and contributions of either a past or present figure in Black history - several have connections to Medfield!

 (Hint: While most portals are displayed in windows of downtown businesses, don’t forget to check outside the Medfield schools too! Each portal will be marked with the logo above.

Knowledge Quest participants will also have the opportunity to win a gift card to Park Street Books. 

For more details and to sign up for the Knowledge Quest, visit https://www.medfieldtogether.com/bhkq.

We hope you have fun celebrating Black History Month with us!

Congratulations, Miss Slachta! 

This week, Grade 4 students wrapped up their circuit unit by making their very own flashlights! Our young scholars thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to participate in a cool hands-on discovery that contained lots of problem-solving.  Bravo!  

Wednesdays will be a half-day of in-person learning for alternating cohorts. These days will be fully synchronous (with minor exceptions) for the cohort not in-person.  This will allow for more in-person learning and students at home will still be participating in real-time. Click here for a list of the alternating cohort Wednesday schedule through March 24th. 

Dale Street Students - 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

• In-Person/Zooms will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 12:00 p.m. -  (This includes a mask/snack break and a 15-minute or 30-minute special subject.)
• Lunch will be from 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
• Dismissal will begin at 12:30 p.m.  

Dale Street families are asked to please pay close attention to the cohort designation each week.  It is important that you update your child’s dismissal for Wednesdays in School Dismissal Manager.   If you need help setting up recurring entries for Wednesday dismissals, please click here for instructions. 

We had a great Q&A session with the Rhode Island Black Storytellers.  Students had the opportunity to watch virtual stories last week about friendship, bridge building, common sense, and having the strength to rise above when someone is unkind to you.  On Wednesday, they were able to ask their questions in a virtual Q&A session.  The students and staff at Dale Street would like to thank our generous PTO for funding this great program!

             

Our next Student Council meeting will be on Wednesday, February 24th, at 2:45 p.m.  An email with Zoom information will be sent directly to Student Council representatives and alternates. 

Students can now check out books from the library! Students can fill out a google form to request a book. The form, a link to the library catalog, and a video tutorial about requesting books are also available on the library website. Books will be checked out and delivered to the student’s classroom on Wednesdays. Students will also be able to return their library books on Wednesdays; books will be taken back to the library and quarantined for 6 days before being checked in and returned to the shelf.

Deliveries are ready!

Throughout the month of February, I will be reading brief stories about bold women in black history.  Using this amazing book, I will share stories of trailblazing black women.  Students and families can locate these read alouds (and our Daily Dale newscast) in my Bitmoji office in their grade levels virtual notebook.  

As a reminder, PE will no longer be a synchronous Zoom.  When your child's cohort is in-person, Mrs. Nawrocki will take them outside (weather permitting) so they can fully participate in the physical activities planned for that lesson.  For students working remotely, she will provide an asynchronous lesson similar to what has been happening via the Virtual Notebooks to date. Your child will be able to access this lesson via their classroom teacher's Notebook page using the PE button.

Dale Street students did a fantastic job creating Valentine's cards for the residents of the Thomas Upham House.  Special thanks to Student Council advisor, Mrs. Vancura for delivering the cards today! 

Dale Street Math Challenge

The Dale Street Math Challenge is on!  Students are free to solve as many problems as they can and will have about a week to turn in their work. Students can hand in a hard copy of the challenge to the office or email it to Mrs. Perachi (bperachi@email.medfield.net) prior to the due date. 

More information, including a calendar of important dates and a link to download and print the challenges and solutions, is available here. Questions regarding the math challenge program can be directed to Dale Street math specialist, Mrs. Perachi.

Congratulations to Math Challenge T-Shirt raffle winner, Ryan!

A HUGE Thank You to MCPE for funding a grant request for HUE HD cameras.  These document cameras will be of great use in the classroom!  The Dale Street staff really appreciate the support we receive from MCPE in helping make our student's education a priority. 

Join us! MCPE is looking for new board members-men and women from the Medfield community with various skill sets and interests who want to have a voice in the improvements that reach our classrooms! Board members do not need to have kids currently in the school system—just a desire to support and enrich the Medfield Schools. Board members will serve a 3-year term and attend meetings one evening a month during the school year. The time commitment required to join the Board can be organized to fit the schedules of both stay-at-home and working parents. Interested? We’d love to hear from you! Apply here by March 8th: https://www.medfieldcoalition.org/volunteer-application-form

Check out the PTO update, which includes information about open positions, fundraising, and more!

Feeling stressed, down or anxious? Need to talk to someone about it?  Medfield Outreach is offering drop-in hours.  Check out this flyer for details.

You are invited to join the Medfield Cares About Prevention Community Coalition and help us make change in the Medfield community. To learn more about how to get involved, email Meri Haas at mhaas@medfield.net.

Food Available to All Medfield Residents

The Medfield Food Cupboard wants to ensure all Medfield residents are aware that their shelves are well-stocked for the winter months and their doors are open to any resident experiencing food shortage.

The Medfield Food Cupboard is open twice per month on Thursday evenings for curbside pick-up and by appointment for urgent needs. 

Any Medfield resident in need of food may contact the Food Cupboard at 508-359-4958 or email: info@MedfieldFoodCupboard.com. Please note all inquiries are confidential.

February 15 - February 19 - No School (February Break)

Wednesday, February 24 - Cohort A Wednesday

Wednesday, February 24th 2:45 - Student Council Zoom

We hope that you enjoy some time with your family during February break.  There will be no school for students on Monday, February 15th through Friday, February 19th. Students will return to school on Monday, February 22, 2021.

Have an awesome vacation!

Steve

Respect * Compassion * Collaboration * Continuous Growth